The Princess and the Hatter
by HattersGonnaHat
Summary: "With all due respect, there's more to being a princess than having royal blood." When Ana Reylee heard a croak in the middle of the woods she didn't realize how wonderfully mad her life would become because of it.
1. Chapter 1: The Frog

**Just a story I came up with because Jefferson needs a love interest. I hope you enjoy it!**

**Note: Each line break indicates a switch between our world and the Enchanted Forest.**

* * *

Ana knelt by the creek and cautiously placed her palm in the rushing water. She gave a sigh of relief as the cool water engulfed her hand. It was a welcome change from the heat of summer.

She took a step back and began to remove her clothing until she was wearing nothing but her long undergarments. With a quick glance around to make sure she was alone she began to wade into the water. She was ankle deep when…

_ Ribbit._

Startled, Ana jumped up and succeeded in splashing herself. She hesitated for a moment, wondering if perhaps she had just imagined it. They didn't have many frogs in this part of the creek, and those they did have were quickly killed off by hunters looking to make a quick dime. Because of this she had only seen a live frog once in her life when her friend Tom had caught one and brought it home to tease her with.

She dismissed it for a moment before she heard it again, only louder this time. Curiosity got the best of her as she walked out of the water and began to search for the source of the noise. A little distance off she found what appeared to be a large overcoat in a heap on the forest floor. She crept carefully toward it, her eyes narrowed in suspicion. She leapt back as lump began to move underneath it. She grabbed a nearby stick and proceeded to approach the strange bundle. When she was close enough Ana used the stick to lift part of it and peer underneath it. As she lifted it higher the culprit who had interrupted her bath hopped into the light.

She dropped the stick upon sight of the frog, which caused the creature to look up at her with what appeared to be inquisitiveness. Suddenly feeling slightly self-conscious she grabbed the overcoat and covered herself with it before addressing her intruder.

"What?" She asked as it continued to stare at her, its head tilted slightly to the left. "Never seen a girl before have you?" The amphibian simply blinked at her in response. "You know it's not polite to stare."

_Ribbit._

"What were you doing under this coat anyway?"

_That's it Ana, _she thought to herself. _Keep talking to the frog. Maybe if you're lucky the owner of the jacket will return and report you for insanity._

Still, she couldn't bring herself to turn away from the animal and found herself taking a seat on a nearby log to continue the conversation.

"Perhaps it's your coat," she said giggling slightly to herself. "You know there are stories of girls who have kissed frogs and they've turned into handsome princes who carried them off to their happily ever after."

Upon hear that the frog took a couple hops toward her.

"You don't believe those stories do you?"

He croaked with what almost seemed like urgency.

"Oh what do you know, you're a frog."

_Ribbit._

"You are just a frog, aren't you?" Ana felt silly as she heard the doubt that slipped into her voice.

_Ribbit._

"Alright, let's try it this way. Blink once if you're a frog, twice if you're more than that." She realized how ridiculous that plan was as soon as she heard it, but figured it was worth a shot. She had trouble containing her surprise as he flutter his eyelids closed at her two times.

Groaning she buried her face in her hands, feeling absolutely absurd. She looked back up at her amphibian guest. "Let me guess you want me to kiss you now don't you?" Two more blinks. "Ugh fine, but if this doesn't work, we tell no one, ok?" He croaked in agreement.

Cringing slightly, she bent down and picked him up by the torso. "Here we go," she muttered before pinching her eyes shut and softly pressing her lips against his. When she opened them again she was face to face with a grown man.

She gave a startled cry and jumped back clutching the black jacket even tighter against herself. "You-You-You're…"

"Handsome, amazing, a good kisser?" He finished arrogantly.

"Human," Ana corrected.

"Bit crude, but I'll take it. The names Jefferson," He said and extended his hand to shake. Ana didn't move however, refusing to relinquish her grip on the one thing protecting her decency. When Jefferson realized that he took a step back and raised his hands in understanding before turning his back to her. Taking advantage of the privacy she set the coat aside before pulling her dress back on. Once she was clothed she informed him that he could turn back around.

"Hm, I must say I liked you're outfit better before. But, you did help me so I believe a thank you is in order. Now, I don't believe I caught you're name your highness," Jefferson stated, his eyebrow cocked in question.

Ana scoffed at him. "Your highness? What do you think I am, a princess?"

"Well you must be," he said matter-of-factly. "How else could you have broken my curse?"

"Listen, I don't know how I broke your curse, but I most certainly am not royalty."

Jefferson rolled his eyes and gave a sigh of something akin to frustration. "With all due respect, there is more to being a princess than having royal blood. Now, do you have a name or should I just continue to call you your highness?" His aura of charm had started to fade out of annoyance but Ana could tell he was still trying his hardest to remain polite.

"My names Diana, but I prefer Ana," she replied.

"Very well Ana. I am in your debt," he said sincerely, giving her a small bow of gratitude. "Now if you'll excuse me," he turned and began raking through the bushes in search of something. Ana watched him with interest as he cursed in frustration. After a moment he spun back on his heel to face her. "You didn't happen to find a hat did you?"

She furrowed her brow in confusion. "No, why?"

"Damn it," he swore. "Regina must have taken it."

"Regina? You mean the queen? Is she the one who turned you into a frog?"

"Yes," he answered. "Now she's gone and stole my hat."

"It's just a hat," Ana said, not understanding what the big deal was.

Jefferson glared at her. "It is not just a hat. It is much more than that, and could be dangerous if it falls into the wrong hands." Clearly angered, he walked over and snatched his overcoat before saying to her, "Thanks for your help princess, but I'll take it from here," and spinning around to leave.

"You're leaving?" She asked, feeling stupidly disappointed. She wasn't sure what had expected to happen but she knew it wasn't this.

"Well yes. I thanked you, what more do you want?" He asked, turning around shooting his eyebrows up at her.

"I…" She hesitated, not sure how to respond. Jefferson tapped his foot impatiently. "I want to come with you," she settled.

He laughed. "A silly girl like you? Why on earth want to leave your undoubtedly nice home to accompany a wanderer like me?"

Ana fumed at his assumptions about her life. "I can help you, and considering how when I found you you were amphibious I'm guessing you could use it."

He scowled at her but she could tell he saw her point. "Very well. But I'm not waiting around while you say your goodbyes. Either you leave with me now or not at all."

Since Ana doubted the Tafani's would even notice her absence she didn't hesitate to accept. Instead she found herself grinning and walking off in the direction he had been headed before turning back to face him and asking, "Well? What are you waiting for?"

Jefferson began to wonder if he'd come to regret it as he followed her into the woods.

* * *

Ana sat in her little car staring at the map in her hands as the storm continued to rage on outside. After days of travel she had found herself in the middle of Maine with no place to go. She had bought the map to help her choose her destination. She found herself oddly drawn to one town in particular. She gave it one last bit of thought before tossing the paper on to the passenger's seat and turning the key in the ignition. As she pulled out onto the empty road she muttered to herself, "Storybrooke here I come."


	2. Chapter 2: Welcome to Storybrooke

**I should probably mention that the events in Storybrooke are taking place around the time of "The Queen of Hearts" and the events in the Enchanted Forest are from just after "The Doctor". Please review and tell me what you think!**

Ana pulled up in front of a dated building labeled as a bed and breakfast and got out of her little blue Prius. There wasn't a soul on the streets. It had been late when she left, and even though she had driven nonstop it was about 3 am by the time she saw the welcome sign on the edge of the little town. The gas station coffee and pop music had kept her awake but she could feel the exhaustion weighing on her as she walked through the front door of the building. She found the check-in desk to be empty, the owner no doubt happily asleep somewhere. Still, she wanted to sleep in a bed that night so she wasn't giving up that easily.

"Hello?" She called into the night. The echo was met with silence. She tried again. "Anyone there?"

This time she heard rustling noises coming from a room in the back. After a minute or so an elderly women came shuffling out of the darkness, shotgun in hand. Ana eyes widen in fear and she threw her arms up in surrender.

"Who goes there?" The woman asked, weapon locked and loaded.

"My name is Diana Reylee, I just wanted to rent a room for the night," she replied. She had been in a lot of odd situations before but this one definitely made the top ten.

"Oh," the lady replied, lowering her gun. "Why didn't you say so? Here, sign in." She went behind the desk and pulled out a large book. Ana went ahead and opened it to the front page and discovered that there were only 3 entries. She filled out the line underneath the third one, very aware of the innkeeper's gaze as it watched her the whole time. Once she had finished the woman snapped the book shut and handed her a key. "Up the stairs, first door on your left, have a good night." When she was satisfied that Ana understood she turned and walked away, leaving her to her own devices.

Slightly off put by the women's odd behavior, Ana threw a curious glance at the door the she had just disappeared behind before heading up to her room. She figured she would just get her bag in the morning, as she was currently too tired to care.

* * *

"So what exactly is your plan?"

Ana and Jefferson had been trekking through the forest for some time now and she still hadn't the faintest clue of where they were going. She was grateful for the fact that she had opted to wear her work boots that day, but they only did so much to help with the blisters she could feel being rubbed into her feet. Even so she was careful to keep from complaining. She didn't want Jefferson to change his mind and send her home, partly because she wasn't sure if she would be able to find her way back if he did.

"What are you talking about?" Jefferson replied dully.

"Your plan," She reiterated. "You must have some sort of plan. If the Queen is as powerful as I've heard than I doubt she'll just hand over your hat. Besides, I'm guessing you're not exactly her favorite person, seeing how she turned you into a frog and everything."

Jefferson shot a glare at her from over his shoulder. "I'm aware of what happened, must you keep reminding me?" Ana just shrugged, smirking slightly once he was no longer looking. "For your information, I do have a plan. The King will be holding his annual masquerade ball tomorrow, and the entire kingdom will be there, including us. Once the party is in full swing I will slip off and retrieve my hat."

"It's not bad," Ana admitted. "There's just one problem. I doubt they will let us within a mile of the castle dressed the way we are." She was referring mostly to her plain dress, which was covered in stained and torn in a couple of places, and was only getting worse thanks to their incessant hiking. The Tafani's hardly ever spent money on clothing for her, and when they did it was only because ghastly image was starting to reflect poorly on them. It was just as well that she hadn't had a chance to grab any other clothing because the rest of her outfits were in much better condition. Jefferson, on the other hand was dressed relatively nicely, but she knew the Queen was no fool and would recognize him if he went dressed as he was, even with a mask. "Where do plan on finding us clothing worthy of her majesty?"

Jefferson paused and turned to face her. He looked her up and down, as if he were sizing her up. After a moment's pause he said, "I'll figure it out."

* * *

Ana was woken up by the sound of someone knocking on her room door. She groaned and flopped out of bed and on to her feet. After half-heartedly straightening out her rumpled clothes from the previous night she lumbered over to answer the door. She opened it to reveal a bit too much of a young woman on the other side. The girl smiled brightly at her and held out a plate of eggs.

"Granny's special, on the house," she said.

"Thanks," Ana said, taking the platter. She went to shut the door, but faltered as the woman showed no signs of leaving, and instead stood there grinning at her expectantly. "Um, would you like to come in?" She tried hesitantly.

This was clearly what the girl had been waiting for as she didn't wait a minute to come bouncing through the door. "Thank you," she said as she perched herself on the neatly made bed adjacent to Ana's used one. Not sure what to think Ana simply took a seat across from her on her own bed and began eating. "I probably should introduce myself," her guest said. "My name's Ruby, I'm the owner's granddaughter."

"Ana," she replied through a mouthful of eggs. "Wow, these are really good," she complimented, referring to the food.

Ruby laughed. "Thanks, I'll be sure to let Granny know. She's never let me near the kitchen after I set the toaster on fire." Ana chuckled as much as she could while she continued to eat her breakfast. "So what brings you to Storybrooke? We don't really have many visitors around here."

"I noticed," she replied, thinking of the oddly empty check-in record. "I'm just looking for a new place to stay, and this town just kind of called to me."

Ruby seemed to narrow her eyes in suspicion briefly, before returning to her chipper self. However her temporary change in attitude didn't go unnoticed by Ana. "Well we're glad to have you," Ruby said cheerfully. "And if you ever need anything you can usually find me at Granny's Diner down the street."

"Thanks," Ana replied as she stood and walked her to the door. Once she shut it behind her visitor she collapsed back against it. "Well at least it's not the strangest place I've ever been," she mumbled.

* * *

After hours of walking Ana and Jefferson finally arrived in a small village in the shadow of Regina and King Leopold's castle. It was slightly larger than the town Ana had grown up in, but not much.

"Is this your home?" Ana asked Jefferson as they stood on the sidelines of all of the day to day activity that was rushing by them.

Jefferson laughed as though she had said something absurd. "I don't have a home."

Ana frowned, clearly distraught by the thought of not having some place to call home. "Well why not?"

He shrugged. "I guess I've just learned that if you stay in one place for too long you start to get comfortable, and as soon as you're comfortable something always screws that up." Ana watched him in silence, afraid to say something and disturb him. He remained quiet for a couple moments, staring into the distance with a far off look in his eyes, clearly thinking about another time, another place. "Come on," he said once he snapped out of his trance. "It's getting late; we should find a place to stay for the night."

* * *

After her encounter with Ruby that morning Ana had retrieved her things from her car and taken advantage of the hotel's shower before deciding to go and check out the rest of Storybrooke. She had wandered around the streets of the old fashioned town for a while, not failing to notice the odd glances she seemed to be getting, before coming across a small park near the coast. She took up residence on one of the benches and pulled out the beaten up spiral notebook that was one of her only possessions that she was always sure to keep with her, the other being a pen decorated with the images of cartoon frogs.

The notebook had been one of the first things she had acquired when she arrived in this land almost a year ago, the pen following soon after. Since then she had filled it's pages with stories. Most of what the notebook contained was things from her past that she was clinging to, but some of it was filled with dreams and images of things to come.

She watched the people that passed by her as she sat there, some bothering to send an undeserved puzzled look her direction, others too possessed by their own lives to notice her. She ignored their stares however, figuring that such a small town was bound to question an outsider, and instead allowed her imagination to wander. The individuals that went by became the motivation of her madness as she wrote drabbles of those who caught her eye. She was in the middle of one about a wiry man and his dog when the sound of a voice roused her from her work.

"Hi." Ana turned to see that a young boy with a backpack slung over his shoulders, had taken a seat next to her. His gaze was filled with curiosity, but it was much gentler than that of everyone else. The others seemed to hold a fear of the unknown, while this boy simply seemed to want to know anything about everything. "You're new around here aren't you?" He asked.

"Yeah," Ana answered, still not sure what to make of him.

He smiled at slightly as if to ease her discomfort while he said, "My name's Henry."

"Ana."

"Nice to meet you." His welcoming look faded in to one of confusing as he added, "You look kind of familiar. Have you ever been here before?"

"Nope, this is my first time," she replied.

Henry directed his attention to the notebook which she had closed when she noticed he was there. "What were you working on?"

"Just some stories."

His eyes lit up at that. "I love stories, _especially_ fairytales."

Ana chuckled at his enthusiasm. "Me too. But you know that most of what people tell you aren't true. The original stories are much better."

"Trust me, I know," he said with such seriousness that she couldn't help but smile. "I should probably get going; my mom might be getting worried. See you around Ana."

She waved at him as he headed back into the main part of town. Once he had gone she sat back and began to form an idea from her latest bit of inspiration.

* * *

Ana and Jefferson had rented a room at the rickety old inn in the middle of town. The room only had one bed, which Jefferson had given up for her while he took the dingy chair in that sat in the corner, the only other bit of furniture in the room. They had decided to retire relatively quickly, both exhausted from that day's travels. But as Ana lay in that poor excuse for a bed she found herself unable to relax thanks to the fact that she had been unable to grab her night shirt and being unaccustomed to sleeping in the same room as a man.

After she shifted positions for the fifth time in the past minute or so, Jefferson moaned at her from his half-awake state, "Either lay still, or I'll come over there and make you."

"Sorry," she whispered. She remained silent for a couple of moments before giving up and sitting up, inciting a groan from her room partner.

"What is it?" He asked. She could barely make out his features in the darkness but she could imagine the look of annoyance that was no doubt spread across his face.

"I just can't sleep." She felt kind of silly, figuring he was probably thinking of her as a child who was afraid of the dark.

"Well I would sing you a lullaby but it would probably just give you nightmares."

Ana giggled slightly at his jesting. His tone conveyed sarcasm, but it still helped her to relax slightly. "It's just that it's my first night away from home and it's not exactly as glamorous as I expected."

"Sorry to disappoint princess, but I don't exactly hang out in five star hotels," he replied dryly. "If you don't like this, then how come you left your home?"

Ana hesitated, not sure whether she wanted to tell him the truth, but she figured she might as well considering how he had bothered to take her with him. "Because where I come from it isn't much better. My parents died when I was young, and ever since then I've been raised by the Tafinis, a family from a nearby village that heard about my situation. They only got custody of me because they managed to convince our town council that she was my dad's long lost sister. They were merchants who made a living scamming people and they only wanted me because they couldn't have children of their own and they thought I would be good for business. They treated me as if I were some stray animal they had been kind of to take in, and because of that they thought that I should bow down to them. I've dreamed of getting out of there for years and when you came along it was my first chance."

Jefferson was silent for a while after she finished, and for a minute she thought that maybe he had fallen asleep. He spoke up eventually though, and said, "I'm sorry."

She heard the sincerity in his voice, which is why she replied, "You don't need to apologize. If anything I should thank you." She must have made him slightly uncomfortable, for he didn't respond to her comment. The silence hung there for a bit before Ana added, "It is late, and I think I should be able to sleep now." She turned over and threw the covers over herself as if they would cover up her embarrassment. She mumbled a goodnight into the blankets before pinching her eyes shut. She managed to doze off a little while later, and even though she didn't see Jefferson fell asleep with a grin on his face that night.

* * *

After she left the park Ana had gone over to the diner Ruby had mentioned for lunch before heading back to the hotel. She got up to room to see a large book sitting outside of her door. There was a note sitting on top of it that simply read _For Ana._ She picked up the over sized brown book and ran her fingers over the gold letters that were etched in the cover.

_Once Upon a Time._


	3. Chapter 3: Once Upon a Time

_Thud._

Ana suddenly found herself wide awake as she landed on the dusty wooden floor of the hotel they were staying in. The last thing she remembered was running through the forest in fear. She sighed and relaxed back against the bed frame as she figured she must have been dreaming. She wasn't calm for long when she remembered that she wasn't alone.

_Jefferson. _Oh god, had he seen her fall? Her cheeks burned in embarrassment as she slowly raised her head to peer over the mattress at where she had last seen him. She was at first relieved to see that the chair he had spent the night was empty, but panic overcame her as realization washed over her. Still on the floor she turned around to look at the door to the hallway and felt her heart sink as she noticed that I was cracked up slightly, as though someone had been trying to make a quick getaway. She collapsed back in despair and scolded herself for being so naïve. She should have known it was too good to be true. He had seen what a hopeless case she was and ran.

Tears were beginning to prickle her eyes when someone burst through the door. She sat up in surprise and quickly dried her eyes with the back of her hands before they could notice she had been crying.

"What are you doing on the floor?"

Ana's heart skipped a beat as she recognized his voice. "Your back," she cried, ignoring his question and leaping up off the floor. The excitement in her voice surprised even her, and she felt silly being so glad to see someone she'd barely known for a day.

"Of course," he replied, looking a little bit confused by her odd reaction. "I had to get you a dress didn't I?" It was then that Ana noticed the beautiful purple ball gown that he had slung his arm. He smirked in satisfaction as he watched her eyes light up at the sight of the dress. "Do you want to try it on?"

Ana only nodded in response, still speechless. She took the garment from him and began to change once he had turned his back to her. She felt slightly self-conscious with him in the room as she removed her clothing. Though he had already seen a bit more than he probably should have during his time as an amphibian, she felt improper being so exposed with a man in the room

The gown was a perfect fit, and she must have looked quite good in it judging by Jefferson's reaction when he saw her. She had trouble containing her pleasure as she left the normally sharp tongued man speechless. The dress was the right length to hide her work boots since he hadn't gotten her any other shoes and was the ideal color to go with her dark brunette hair. The gown sparkled as she twirled in the sunlight from the nearby window. When Jefferson managed to get ahold of his thought's he summed it up by saying, "You look… exquisite."

Ana beamed at his compliment, but her joy was short lived when they were interrupted by a pounding from the other side of the door. Jefferson's eyes widen in urgency and he quickly ran to move the chair in front of the door. She tried get him to tell her what was going on but he ignored her. He rushed to gather all of their things, not that there was much, before grabbing her hand and dragging her over to the window. He threw it open as the knocking changed to the sound of someone trying to break in.

Terrified, Ana tried one more time to get him to explain was happening. He didn't listen and instead asked her, "Do you trust me?"

Ana's eyes were huge as she shouted back, "Are you mad? What's going on, Jefferson? Tell me-"

"Do you trust me?" He yelled back, cutting her off.

She paused for a moment, searching his face for any indication as to what he meant. Still slightly breathless, she replied, "Yes."

Without missing a beat he said, "Good." Then he picked her up…

And jumped out of the window.

* * *

Ana sat cross-legged on her bed, nursing a cup of tea while Henry's book lay in front of her. She figured that he must have been the one who had given it to her based on their conversation about fairytales earlier that day and the child-like handwriting on the note. Her curiosity got the best of her as she opened it to a random page and began to leaf through it. She quickly ended up enthralled in the tales. She knew it was ridiculous for someone her age who had come from a land filled with magic to be so entertained by silly fairytales but she had grown up without the stories and legends that most other children were told when they were young, so the mystical tales captivated her the way they would a small child.

When she got up for a refill a breeze drifted in through the open window and flipped the pages of the Storybrooke. She returned and got herself comfortable, and went back to reading when an image on the page startled her. Sitting right in front of her, was the image of a man she thought she would never she again. Her mind began to race as she studied the image. The resemblance was faint but it was still enough to catch her attention.

_It must be a coincidence, _she thought, trying to come up with some sort of explanation. She knew there was only one way to prove it.

Setting her cup aside, her fingers turned the pages furiously, desperately searching for the one tale she knew better than anyone. When she found it she slammed the book shut in shock, kicking it away from her. She pulled her knees into her chest and buried her face in them. A tear streamed down her face because printed on those pages was the story. Her story.

_Their_ story.

* * *

She had to admit that the landing was much softer than she expected.

Jefferson had somehow timed their drop so that they landed in the back of a wagon that was transporting straw. He let out a groan as Ana landed on top of him. She blushed before rolling off of him and onto the hay. Once they had both sat up she asked, "How did you know this would be here?"

"I didn't," he admitted gruffly. They were interrupted by shouts as the people who must have been at the door discovered where they gone. Jefferson's earlier urgency returned as he turned to her and said, "When I tell you go, I want you to jump out of the cart and run into the woods. Don't look back."

She hoped he didn't hear the worry in her voice as she asked, "Will you follow me?"

"You'll just have to trust me," he replied eerily.

They rode the cart into the woods with the men trailing not far behind them. Ana was poised at the side of the cart, her anticipation growing as she waited for him to give her the signal. Once they were fully submerged by the trees he shouted for her to go and she leapt over the side, taking off as soon as her feet hit the ground. She ran as fast as her feet would carry her, imagining she was five years old again, racing through town alongside Tom. Her blood pounded in her ears as her adrenaline pushed her on. Eventually she reached a break in the trees and she came to a halt. Her breath came in short pants as she looked around the clearing. It was beautifully spotted with assorted wild flowers with insects dancing around them. Her brief moment of peace was interrupted by someone barreling into her from behind.

She was knocked to ground and slightly crushed by her aggressor's weight. Once he lifted himself from she turned so she was on her on her back and found herself face to face with Jefferson. He smirked down at her and said, "We seem to be doing a lot of this today don't we?"

She feinted annoyance and gently shoved him off of her but couldn't control her own smile too well. Once they were both right on their feet again she began to question him. "What was that about?"

"Let's just say that I didn't exactly come by that dress in the most… legal of terms." Ana narrowed her eyes in suspicion but decided to let it go. She had expected some adventure when she had agreed to leave with him, so she wasn't going to argue. "Now," he continued. "I believe we have a ball to be going to. We wouldn't want to be late." Jefferson extended his arm for her, which she gladly accepted and off they went.

* * *

After discovering the truth behind the storybook, Ana had stayed up most of the night reading and rereading the tales, looking at them in a new light now that she knew their origins. She had fallen asleep with the book still in her lap, opened to the image that had left her haunted. It was of her peering down at a small frog that had changed her story forever.

Once she had gotten up the nerve to read the story, she had read it over and over until she had completely absorbed the words. It wasn't completely accurate and the ending was all wrong. It left off at the point where it seemed like they would live happily ever after, instead of going on to reveal their real conclusion.

There was another story of him in there, one of his daughter. Ana's heart had broken when she had read it, mostly out of sympathy but partially out of regret that she hadn't been there. She knew it was ridiculous to feel jealous of the life he had created after her, especially since she had no way of getting back to him. Still, her feelings for him hadn't diminished enough for the ache of longing in her chest to dissipate.

The last documented story in the book had peeked her curiosity. According to it everyone from her home land was located somewhere in this land. She knew it was unlikely, but she couldn't keep her mind from straying to thoughts of the possibilities. Who knew, perhaps some of them were right here in this town. There was a girl in there that looked suspiciously like Ruby…

She awoke with a crick in her neck and her legs asleep from having the heavy book resting on them all night long. With one eye cracked open she glanced over at the bedside clock that glowed back at her 11:59 am. Groaning, she flopped back onto her pillow. She wasn't sure what time she had fallen asleep, but she knew it had been well past midnight. As she lay there she began to wonder if what had happened last night had just been her imagination, but the image on the page beside her proved otherwise.

Once she could feel her limbs again, Ana stood up to go get ready for the day, or at least decent enough to stumble to Granny's for brunch. She decided to return the book to Henry, for she wouldn't feel right keeping it. She wasn't sure how she would find him; he hadn't even told her his last name, but it wasn't that large of a town. After throwing on a fresh change of clothes and pulling her messy hair up, she went to close the book and put it in her bag, but she paused. She gave it a moment of consideration and ended up carefully tearing out the pages of her story, tucking them under the mattress for safe keeping before grabbing the rest of the book and heading out the door.

* * *

Jefferson and Ana crouched in the bushes across from the entrance to the palace, watching the carriages that arrived carrying lavish guests. They had both adorned masks that Jefferson had snatched for them. He had been unable to get himself a change of clothes, so he simply went as he was. He pulled it off, but the main concern was Regina recognizing him. He had assured Ana that she would be too busy trying to hide her boredom to notice them, but she still had her doubts. She wasn't sure she was up to kissing another frog.

On Jefferson's cue the two of them climbed out of their hiding spot and in the side entrance of a carriage that had just pulled up and exited behind its occupants, their heads held high to give the appearance of confidence. No one questioned them as they walked into the ball.

Ana gaped at the ballroom once they were inside. It was covered in floral arrangements and filled with guests. On the end of the dance floor, above it all, the Queen sat next to her husband. A young girl watched the dance from beside them, and Ana figured she must have been the King's daughter.

The corner of Jefferson's mouth turned up in a smile as he watched her taking everything in. On a spur of the moment decision he turned and offered her his hand, as to ask her dance. She was caught slightly off guard by the gesture, but he had made her promise ahead of time to follow his lead no matter what, so she accepted it without question.

Once they were on the dance floor he placed one hand in hers and the other on her waist. He danced surprisingly well, which made her feel clumsy and awkward since the only time she ever danced was with a broom when no one was looking.

As he spun her around the room Jefferson said, "You know you might be the only girl I know who can run through the forest and still look beautiful."

Ana felt heat rush to her face, but she maintained an even expression as she replied, "I doubt you dragged me out here just to flirt with me."

He shrugged and responded, "I thought we might as well enjoy it while we're here." He casually pulled her close enough to him that she could feel his hot breath against her ear as he whispered, "Plus it's easier to blend in in the middle of the crowd."

His close proximity to her made Ana's breath catch in her throat. She was so distracted by the thought of him that she nearly didn't notice he was still talking.

"Behind me, do you see the soldier guarding the staircase?" She spotted the man he was talking about and nodded. "As soon as I'm done talking we will part. I will duck into the hallway on the other side of the stairs that is unguarded. When I'm concealed you will go over to the man and distract him long enough for me to slip by."

"How am I supposed to do that?" She asked.

"You're a pretty little thing, I'm sure you'll figure something out," he replied suggestively. Ana rolled her eyes in exasperation but didn't say anything. "Once I'm up the stairs you are to go outside and wait for me back at the clearing. Do you understand?"

She nodded but added, "What if you don't come back?"

Jefferson paused for a moment before replying definitively, "I'll come back." He didn't allow any more time for arguments and quickly pulled away from her. He gently touched his lips to her hand as if he were bidding her farewell and walked off in the direction he had said he would. Ana likewise turned and headed over to where they were serving drinks. She grabbed a glass of white wine and took a sip. She gagged at the taste, but forced down a couple of gulps before dabbing the rest on her neck and chest. When she was ready, she walked over to where the guard was standing and began to sway as if she were intoxicated, the same way she'd seen her adopted father do many times before. She stumbled into him clumsily and began giggling madly.

"I'm so sorry sir," She slurred in between chuckles. She remained pressed up against him, which incited a malicious grin from the man.

"It's no problem," he replied. He snaked his arm around her which nearly caused her to squirm uncomfortably. Luckily his eyes were nowhere near Jefferson as he crept up the staircase the man was supposed to be watching. Jefferson's gaze, however, was glued to the pair and was filled with something that Ana almost mistook for jealousy. Ana urged him on with her eyes, not sure how much more of this she could take. The man didn't notice, to busy looking at other parts of her. Her look of insistence spurred Jefferson into action and he took of up the steps. Once he was out of sight she began to feint as though she was going to be sick, which was quite a possibility if that man continued to paw at her like he was. However her gagging quickly got him to release her and she turned to rush out of the castle, one hand covering her mouth, hoping no one would stop her.

She didn't stop until she was out on the castle grounds. She paused just outside of the courtyard and turned to look back at the palace. Tears prickled in the corners of her eyes as she turned and ran into the woods.

* * *

The book weighed heavy in Ana's bag as she walked into Granny's dinner that afternoon. She had decided to start her search there since it seemed to be the most popular meeting place in town. Plus, she found herself craving some more of those scrambled eggs.

After Ruby brought her her breakfast she stopped her before she left and asked, "Hey, do you happen to know a kid named Henry? He's maybe 10 or 11, with brown hair."

"Of course, he's in here all the time," Ruby replied from where she stood on the other side of the counter. "Why do you ask?"

"I just have something of his and I thought he might like it back," she answered.

"I'll let you know if I see him," Ruby said before heading back to work. Ana mumbled her thanks and turned her attention to her plate. She was just diving into her eggs when a woman sitting a couple seats down the bar from her addressed her.

"Excuse me? Did you say Henry?"

Ana turned to see a young blonde woman looking at her quizzically. Her gaze was immediately drawn to the sheriff's badge resting on her hip out of instinct. "Um, yeah. Do you know him?"

The corner of the woman's mouth twitched into a brief smile. "I guess you could say that. My name's Emma Swan. I'm Henry's mother."

"Oh," Ana exclaimed as she turned to dig in her shoulder bag. "I'm Ana Reylee. Perhaps you can give this to him?" She asked when she pulled out the storybook.

Emma's eyes widen slightly when she saw the book. "He gave that to you?" She sounded slightly surprised.

"Yeah. He came up to me in the park and started talking about fairytales. When I got back to my hotel this was sitting outside of my room. Why, is something wrong?" Ana added cautiously when she saw that Emma still looked slightly suspicious.

"No," she replied. "He's just really protective of that book. You must have really made an impression on him for to give that to you."

Ana shrugged. "I suppose."

Emma accepted the book from her and took a sip from her mug before changing the subject. "So how long have you been in Storybrooke?"

"Only a couple of days."

"Where are you from?"

Ana paused before answering that question, knowing that if she told the truth she wouldn't believe her. So she simply replied, "Nowhere."

Instead of the usual pity or derision she was used to seeing when she said that Emma's gaze only held curiosity. "How come?"

Ana's stare fell beyond Emma as she replied. "A friend of mine once told me that that if you stay in one place for too long you start to get comfortable, and as soon as you're comfortable something always screws that up."

Emma nodded in what seemed like understanding before standing up. "Well, I hope you enjoy your stay in Storybrooke. I'll be sure to return Henry his book."

Once she was gone Ana turned back to pick at her breakfast, but now her mind was too consumed with thoughts of the past for her to be hungry.

* * *

Ana paced impatiently back and forth through the clearing, wringing her hands in worry. She had changed back into her plain dress, not wanting to ruin the ball gown should they have to run. It seemed like it had been hours since she had bid Jefferson farewell on the dance floor. Once she had left the castle behind her thoughts had been filled with ideas of what might become of him should he be caught, and what would happen to her all alone out here in the middle of the woods.

The sound of a twig snapping interrupted her pacing distressing. She spun around to confront her foe, brandishing a stick over her head as her weapon. Her hand trembled as they stepped through the tree line.

The intruder held up his hands in surrender. "Don't shoot."

Ana's hand released the branch in recognition. Breathlessly she whispered, "You're back." Without thinking she ran to embrace him, throwing her arms around his neck in a tight hug.

Jefferson stumbled slightly as she crashed into him but he remained upright. His eyes widened in surprise and his hands remained limp at his sides, unsure what to do. Not many people were so happy to see him.

When Ana realized what she was doing she released him, looking sheepishly embarrassed. In a hasty attempt to change the subject she asked him, "Did you get it?"

"Yes, I…" he started but it came out jumbled and squeaky. He cleared his throat before starting again, this time over exaggerating his voice to make it more masculine. "Yes, I did. Regina is none the wiser."

He held up the rather large top hat Ana had failed to notice earlier. When she laid eyes on it her eyebrows shot up at its ridiculous appearance. "_That's _the hat that was so important to get back?"

He narrowed his eyes at her mockery. "It may look funny, but that's not why I wanted it back." He gave it a twirl before placing it atop of his head and continuing. "You see, this hat is 'special', so to speak. It has the ability to transport people between magical realms."

Ana's gaze filled with almost childlike wonderment. "You mean with that hat we could go anywhere we wanted?"

Jefferson gaze softened and he dropped the showman like act he had defaulted too as she looked at him in fascination. "Not anywhere exactly, only places with magic, but otherwise yes." Ana's stare traveled to places beyond the clearing as she imagined the possibilities. He felt warmth in his chest as he watched her. Tentatively, not wanting to disturbed her, he asked, "Would you like to see?"

Her eyes turned back to him at the sound of his voice. She nodded excitedly as she comprehended his question. He smiled genuinely and removed the hat from his head. "Stand back," he warned as he tossed the hat into the middle of the clearing. It began spinning faster and faster as the portal opened. Once it was wide enough Jefferson turned to Ana to find her chewing her lip in worry, her eyes locked on the hat. "You'll be fine," he shouted at her over the noise of the wind from the spinning at. "Trust me." She looked up at him as he handed her his hand. After a moment's pause she accepted it and the two of them leaped into the portal.

Once Ana's vision cleared her jaw dropped at the sight. They were standing in the middle of a circular room, surrounded by an assortment of doors. A smile grew on her face as she took it all in. "This is wonderful!" She exclaimed, spinning around in the middle of the room in excitement.

Jefferson watched her, an amused grin on his face. Suddenly he blurted out, "Pick one."

She stood still, her face abruptly serious as she replied, "What?"

"You heard me." He walked over to her while he continued, "Pick a door. That's where we'll go. Just the two of us."

He got close enough that their foreheads were practically resting against each other. Ana's eyes searched his face for any sign that he was joking. When she came to the conclusion that he was serious she stepped away from him and began walking around the room, examining each of the doors. Jefferson's gaze followed her as she turned down door after door. Eventually she came to rest in front of one of them. She studied it for a while before turning back to him and saying decisively, "This one."

He smiled at her choice and walked over to join her in front of the portal. The two of them stood there side by side for a moment before he broke the silence, "Well then. Shall we?" He offered her his arm but she instead grabbed his hand and clutched it tightly. She nodded that she was ready and together the two of them stepped through the looking glass.

* * *

**This chapter ended up pretty long, but I just couldn't split it up. I hope you enjoyed it, let me know what you think!**


	4. Chapter 4: Stronger than Magic

"Henry!"

At the sound of his mother's voice Henry came barreling down the stairs to the living room. He paused halfway down and turned to face where Emma was currently in the progress of kicking off her shoes. His eyes grew wide when he spotted the storybook tucked under her arm. "Where'd you get that?" He asked.

Once Emma had successfully removed her boots she pulled the book out from the crook of her arm and looked down at it. "A woman named Ana said you gave it to her and she wanted to return it. Speaking of which, have you been talking to strangers again, because I thought I told you…"

But Henry wasn't listening any more. As soon as he had heard Ana's name he bolted down the rest of the stairs. After grabbing the book from his mother, despite her protests, he set it down on the kitchen counter and began flipping through it, furiously looking for something. When he reached the page where it should have been he was only slightly surprised to discover it missing.

"I knew it!" He exclaimed.

"What?" Emma asked, peering over his shoulder at the book.

"Ana. She's from the Enchanted Forest. I thought she looked familiar when I saw her that's why I approached her. It's because her story was in here. And when she saw it she must have ripped it out to keep for herself."

Emma frowned and tilted her head at him. "Henry…"

"Please believe me. She must have escaped the curse somehow and now she's here somehow. The story ends with her jumping through a portal. Maybe that's how she got to our world."

His mother sighed as she took a seat beside him. She stared down at him gently. "Listen kid, I don't know if this woman is from the Enchanted Forest or not, but I do know that a stranger in Storybrooke could be dangerous. We don't know anything about her…"

"Exactly!" Henry interrupted. "That's why I'm trying to figure it out. You just need to give me a chance."

He gave her his most convincing look, hoping she'd crack. Fortunately for him she did. "So how do you intend to prove it? You can just walk up to her and ask her. Is there someone else from the Enchanted Forest that she might have known that would be able to identify her?"

He paused for a moment, thinking back to the story. After a minute or two Emma could practically see the light bulb above his head as he exclaimed, "I've got it!"

* * *

Ana crept toward the man, being careful of her footing as to not make any noise. He had his back to her and had yet to give any indication that he knew she was there. Her eyes were locked on her target; his left coat pocket. His arms were crossed in front of him, which made her job slightly easier, but she knew that at any moment he could drop his hands. Once she was in range she slowly reached into his pocket. She felt around, careful not to disturb it too much. Her eyes widened in excitement when she felt what she was looking for. Slowly she began to pull it out…

With incredible speed, the man's hand reached back and curled around her wrist, causing her to freeze. Ana sighed, "I could have sworn I had it that time," she mumbled.

Jefferson released her and turned around. "You need to be quicker, more agile. The longer you take the more time they have to catch you."

Exasperated, Ana collapsed back against a tree and leaned there uncomfortably. She was still getting used to the pants Jefferson had gotten her their first day in Wonderland. He had said that she needed 'practical clothes', those she didn't understand how those leather pants he ran around in were practical. Not that she was complaining.

"Why do I need to learn how to pick-pocket anyway?" She whined.

"Because," he said, rolling his eyes. "It's useful. And I might not be here to do it for you forever."

Ana scoffed. "If you're so good why have we spent the past week sleeping on the ground?"

A look of annoyance settled on Jefferson's face and if Ana hadn't known better she would have thought she had offended him. Throughout the conversation he had gradually been walking closer to her. He stood with his face inches from hers as he replied, "I've been a tad bit busy teaching my most helpless student."

She felt a flash of anger at his quip, despite the fact she knew he was teasing. They'd had nearly the same conversation everyday ever since he'd begun teaching her, but she still felt offended whenever he said something degrading to her about her skill, or lack thereof.

"If I'm so helpless," she said in a low voice so he had to lean into her even more. She kept her eyes trained on his as she spoke. "Then how'd I get this?"

With a mischievous smirk she held up the bag of rocks they'd been using for her training which she had snatched from Jefferson's pocket. Instead of being upset that he had allowed himself to be distracted so easily, he beamed with something akin to pride. "I believe it's time for the next step in your training."

* * *

Jefferson sat on a bench beside the bus stop, tapping his foot impatiently as he waited for Grace to arrive. He felt on edge being out in the town, even though most people had gotten used to seeing him there from time to time ever since he had gotten partial custody of Grace. He was used to watching these people from his house on the hill, so he felt exposed being one of them.

Upon the squeaking sound of the bus's brakes as it pulled up he leapt to his feet. He looked on as the crowd of students poured from the bus, his eyes scanning for a familiar face. When he spotted his daughter she was walking towards him, talking enthusiastically to the savior's son, Henry. They quickly cut their conversation off once he was within earshot. Grace ran to embrace and he knelt down to return the gesture.

Henry gave them their space as they greeted each other. Once Jefferson was back on his feet and Grace was back at his side he spoke up. "Hello Mr. Jefferson." Henry had never been sure what to call him. No one seemed to know if Jefferson was his first or last name. Or maybe he only had one name. Like Rumpelstiltskin. Or Cher.

Jefferson gave him a small nod of acknowledgement. He had only interacted with Henry a couple of times, but he had to admit he had respect for the kid. He was wiser than most of the adults in this town, and that was a quality he could admire.

"Papa, can Henry come over for a while?" Grace asked. "We need to work on a project together."

If Jefferson hadn't been so glad she had friends to spend time with he would have noticed the mischievous twinkle in her eyes, but he was just grateful she had normality in her life. "Of course," he said. "Is your mother ok with it?" He knew he and Emma hadn't exactly gotten off to the best start, so he wasn't sure how she would react to her son being at his house.

Henry nodded. "She said it's fine as long as I'm home for dinner." It wasn't a total lie. He had asked to go over to a friend's after school, he just hadn't told her what friend.

He wasn't sure if Jefferson completely bought it, but he didn't say anything. "If it's fine with her then…" He didn't get a chance to finish before Grace was throwing her gratitude over her shoulder as the two of them raced to his car that was parked down the street. With a small sigh, he followed them.

* * *

"You want me to rob a mushroom?"

It was later that evening and Jefferson and Ana were standing in front of what appeared to be an oversized fungus. Jefferson had brought her here after deciding she was ready to put what she had learned to use. She was still skeptical on her ability, but she didn't say anything to him that might cause him to doubt her too. How could she expect him to have faith in her if she didn't have faith in herself?

Jefferson shook his head at her naivety. "I would think that after all you've done this past week you would know everything isn't always what it seen." He then waved his hand in front of the mushroom. It shimmered briefly before a door appeared on its stalk. He turned the knob and it swung open.

Ana raised her eyebrows, mildly impressed before walking up beside him to peer through the doorway. It was pitch black inside, making it impossible for her to see anything, but she could hear voices coming from somewhere inside.

Jefferson stood to the side, as if he was waiting for her to make the first move. Motivated by her determinacy to prove herself, she walked through the door. It was so dark inside that she couldn't see the nose on her face. She tentatively shuffled forward, testing the floor. Once she grew more confident in the ground beneath her, she went to take a full length step, but as soon as she went to set her foot down, where the ground should have been there was only air. Her stomach lurched as she began to tumble forward. Luckily her fall was stopped by a hand grabbing her arm. When she was steady she turned to face her savior only to discover it was too dark to make him out.

"Careful," came Jefferson's disembodied voice. "There are stairs there." Ana could hear the teasing smirk in his voice. She was glad he couldn't see her blush.

They continued down the rest of the way, Jefferson never once removing his hand from her arm. Ana felt slightly belittled by the gesture, but was grateful nonetheless, even if she wouldn't admit it.

The stairs eventually began to wrap around a tree trunk. As soon as they were in the open Jefferson separated himself from her, as if he were trying to get as far from her as the small staircase would allow. Ana was confused but he didn't give an opportunity for her to ask questions.

As soon as they reached the bottom of the steps he whispered to her, "Man by himself at the bar." She looked around. They were standing in the middle of some sort of party. There were all sorts of figures drinking and talking, all too busy to notice the newcomers. On one end there was a giant caterpillar overseeing it all.

Ana turned to what appeared to be the bar. There was only one man there, and he was slumped over on the counter. She turned back to ask if Jefferson was serious only to discover that he had disappeared. She spotted him at a table toward the back casually trying to pretend he wasn't watching her.

She could feel his eyes burning into her back as she mustered her courage and walked over to take a seat next to the man. The bartender was nowhere to be found and the man was too busy snoring to take any notice to her. She instantly spotted a bad of coins in one of his hands. Trying her hardest not to look suspicious she casually slid her hand toward his. She got within an inch of it when he began to stir. She froze, but when he seemed to settle down she continued her pursuit. Her fingers had just closed around the neck of the bag when he awoke.

"What the..?" He muttered as he came to. When he spotted her grip on his money he grew angry. "Why you little…"

"N-no, I wasn't…" Ana forced out, but he cut her off.

"You think I don't know a thief when I see one?" He rose, forcing her to rise with him, for she wouldn't relinquish her grip on the sack. "I'll turn you into the Queen, if I don't do away with you myself."

Ana began to back away, causing him to follow her. Before he could get too close Jefferson popped up in between them. "Now, now," he said casually. "There's no need for you to go running to your precious queen."

"You!" The man said, clearly recognizing Jefferson. "I should have known you would have something to do with this."

"Who said I was involved?" He replied. "I was just…"

He didn't get a chance to finish before the man swung at him. Jefferson ducked and the man stumbled. Thinking quickly Ana took advantage of the distraction to yank the bag free of the man's grip. She took off toward the stairs, prepared to get the hell out of there until she realized Jefferson hadn't followed. She turned back to see that several other people had joined the man and had cornered Jefferson. One of them raised a knife, causing Ana to panic. "No!" She screamed. Much to the surprise of everyone a blue ball of magic shot from her hand and caused all of the people around Jefferson to topple over. He stood the in surprise for a moment before coming to his senses and rushing to join her.

They safely made it to out of the mushroom, slamming the door tight behind them. They leaned back against the door, each of them pausing to take a deep breath.

"So…" Jefferson said after a moments break.

Ana stopped him. "Let's just get out of here before they come after us," she said, refusing to look at him. He simply nodded in response before the two of them headed down the yellow path.

* * *

Jefferson poured himself a cup of tea as the sound of Grace's laughter floated in from the living room. He smiled in spite of himself. After living in an empty house it was a welcome change.

He was stirring his tea as he walked through the dining room when something sitting on top of Henry's backpack caught his eye. He set his mug down on the table and picked up the paper to examine it more closely.

"Mr. Jefferson?"

Jefferson leaped at the sound of Henry's voice. He dropped the sheets and turned to face the boy. "Henry, I was just…"

"I know what you were doing." Henry said. He walked over to stand beside him. "You know her, don't you?"

Jefferson knew he was talking about the woman in the picture. He had been struck by the familiarity when he saw it and Henry knew it. He had removed the picture from the book before giving it to Ana so he would be sure to have it for evidence. Having Emma as a mother had its advantages.

"I did," he replied, a far off look in his eyes. "Not anymore."

Henry's eyes lit up as a plan began to form. "What if told you you could find her again?"

* * *

Jefferson took a seat on the ground next to Ana, where she hadn't moved ever since they'd found a place to stay for the night. Night had fallen and the only thing illuminating the clearing was the fire Jefferson had built. He had given her her space for the most part but he was growing tired of the silence.

Before he had a chance to say anything, she said, "Please don't ask me a bunch of questions. I don't feel like talking." She had her knees drawn into her and her face buried in her chest.

"I wasn't going to do that," he responded. "I just wanted to congratulate you. Not many people would succeed on their first try."

"The only thing I succeed in was nearly getting you killed," she mumbled.

"Tell that to the bag of gold coins you snatched."

"I'm not talking to a bag of coins, that's absurd," she quipped.

Jefferson grinned and draped his arm across her shoulders, pulling her closer to him. "There's that sense of humor I was missing." Ana turned her head away from him, but only so he couldn't see her smile. He quickly got serious again though. "Why didn't you tell me you had magic?" He asked.

Her smile disappeared as she replied, "It's not something I'm proud of."

"Why not?" He asked, trying not to sound pushy.

Her next answer came so quietly that he could hardly hear it. "Magic is the reason I lost my parents."

Jefferson didn't reply, nor try and get more out of her. Instead the two of them sat there, surrounded by a comfortable silence. This time Ana was the one to break it. "Why did you agree to let me come with you?"

Jefferson exhaled and shrugged before he answered. "I saw fire in you. Not many people would kiss a frog on the first date."

Ana laughed and turned to look at him. There were still tears in her eyes, but there was something else there too. Jefferson watched as she scanned his face, as if searching for something before she began to lean towards him. As her eyes fluttered closed he realized what was going on and shut his own eyes. Her lips gently collided with his in a tender kiss. He returned the gesture eagerly. Her hand found the back of his neck as she began to deepen the kiss. It took on a sense of urgency and Jefferson suddenly found her on top of him, forcing him to lean back. When his back hit the ground he came to his senses and pulled away.

"Ana, we shouldn't do this," he said.

"To hell with what we should do," she responded, trying to recapture his lips.

He managed to evade her and insisted, "I don't want to be with you like this."

That snapped her out of it, and she stared down at him, looking hurt. "Oh," she said rolling off him and onto her back beside him.

"No, no, I mean I do want to be with you," Jefferson continued, propping himself up on his elbow to face her. "Just not now. Not just because you're look for a rebellious form of comfort. I really care about you. I want to do this right."

"I didn't think you were the type of guy who cared about girls like that," she muttered spitefully.

"I would think by now you would know everything isn't always what it seems."

A lone tear ran down her cheek, but this time for a different reason. "What do you mean?"

"I mean I think that I might be falling in love with you Ana." With only a moment's hesitation her lips found his again. Only this time it was different, more intimate and meaningful. Even though she didn't say it the kiss told him all he needed to know. And this time he didn't pull away.

000

Jefferson's body lurched forward with pain. The agony in his chest was blinding, and he bit his lip so hard to keep from crying out that he drew blood. Her voice echoed in his head as she threatened, "Final warning, Jefferson."

He collapsed back onto the ground once the pain dispersed, panting in exhaustion. He stared up at the sky until the spots in his vision disappeared before turning to look at Ana. She was still sound asleep beside him, curled up peacefully under his jacket like he had left her last night. Tears began to form in the corners of his eyes as he realized what he had to do. He leaned over to press a gentle kiss to her temple before whispering, "I'm sorry."

000

Ana's eyelids fluttered open as the noon sun hit her face. It took a moment for her to remember where she was, but once she did a smile graced her face. She rolled over, expecting to see Jefferson still snoring beside, only to discover he was nowhere to be found. She sat up with a start, still clutching his jacket to her chest. She spotted his foot prints leading off in to the forest. She leapt to her feet and rushed into the trees to follow them, not bothering to drop the coat. Her heart pounded in her chest as adrenaline pushed her on. Her bare feet were covered in cuts and scrapes but she was numb to the pain. She tripped over a tree root as she reached the edge of the woods and tumbled out into the open. She righted herself and sat propped up on her knees as she stared at the path where the tracks disappeared to. As reality hit her she allowed the tears to come. She hugged the coat to herself tightly as she sat there sobbing and whispering a single word over and over.

"Why?"

000

At the sound of footsteps coming down the hallway Regina spun away from her mirror to face the intruders. A look of boredom crossed her face when she saw the elder man her guards had dragged into the room. "Put him with the others," she said dismissively. The man's eyes widened in fear at her were but his binds prevented him from crying out.

"Yes, your majesty," the lead guard said before heading back the way they came. Once they were gone she turned back to her vanity to continue what she was doing before the sound of someone else approaching interrupted her. She spun around, prepared to snap at them until she saw who it was. Instead a smirk crossed her face.

"Jefferson," she said. "I see you've done your job."

Jefferson stood there stiffly, his expression blank as he forced out the word, "Yes."

The queen's smile grew and she approached Jefferson so she was standing right in front of him. The only part of Jefferson that stirred was his eyes as they tracked her movements. "And the girl?"

His gaze returned beyond her as he replied drearily, "As good as dead."

Regina sneered as she hissed, "Excellent."

Jefferson bit his lip and looked at the ground so she didn't see his gaze darken. Regina furrowed her brow. "What's wrong Jefferson?" She asked as she went to take a seat in front her fireplace. "You seem… upset."

Jefferson ignored her and remained rooted where he was. "Why did you need to get rid of her?" He asked through clenched teeth, still refusing to look at her.

"That is none of your concern," she snapped. "Why are you so interested in this girl? Did you… have… feelings for her?" She spat out the last part like it tasted bad. Jefferson didn't reply, but that was enough response for Regina. "You did!" She laughed as if the thought were ridiculous to her. She walked back over to him, her face in his as she said, "Whatever you think you felt for her is an illusion, you couldn't possibly feel anything…"

"I loved her," he hissed, cutting her off.

"That's impossible," she shouted. "I have your heart, there's no way…"

"Some things are stronger than magic!" He yelled back. He lowered his voice to a near whisper as he added, "Not that you would understand."

That seemed to strike a nerve and with a flourish of her cloak she turned and walked back to her dresser to retrieve some from a drawer. She pulled out a box and gingerly opened the lid. Jefferson watched as she carefully lifted its contents out of it. He felt his pulse quicken as he recognized as a heart. His heart.

"What are you going to do?" He asked. "Kill me?" It was almost a taunt.

"No," she said, grinning evilly. She casually walked back over to him, mocking him. "That would be showing you mercy. What I'm going to do," she paused for effect. "Is give it back to you." In one angry thrust she plunged her hand into his chest, causing him to cry out in pain. "So that you can realize the full extent of what you've done. So that you'll have to live with the guilt of knowing you left the person you 'love'... for dead." With the last word she removed her hand and the emotional pain came crashing down on him so hard he collapsed to his knees. Regina watched him for a moment, as id admiring her work. "I hope you've learned your lesson Jefferson," she said as she looked down on him. "Don't agree to something if you can't live with the consequences."

* * *

It was around 8 am as Ana walked into Granny's. She spotted Henry sitting alone at the counter and headed over to join him. "Hey," she said as she sat down. "You wanted to see me?" She placed the note he had slipped under her hotel room door on the counter in front of him.

"Um, yeah." The boy seemed distracted and he kept glancing over his shoulder at the door.

"Something wrong?" She asked.

Henry shook his head. "No, it's just that… Storybrooke isn't like any other town."

Ana laughed. "Yeah, I got that. This place looks like it's straight out of any 80's film." At that moment the bell on the door rang as someone entered the diner. She didn't pay it any mind until she noticed Henry staring at whoever it was. She turned to see who had captured his attention and felt her heart drop to her stomach as she recognized them.

"Ana."


	5. Chapter 5: Falling

"Ana."

Ana stared at Jefferson with her mouth opening and closing as she searched for something to say to him. She had imagined what she would say if this moment ever came time and time again and now she was left fishing for a single word. After a minute she realized that everyone in the diner was watching them, and she shot a glare around the room, causing them to go back to their own lives. Jefferson walked over to stand next to her at the counter so they could talk without everyone hearing them.

"What… How… When did you get here?" Jefferson finally settled on.

Ana looked down at her hands, unable to bring herself to look at him. "A few days ago," she said quietly so he didn't hear her voice waiver.

"Wh-what have you been up to?"

"What have I been up to?!" Ana snapped and turned to face him. "You mean after you abandoned me or after I got to this land?"

"Ana…" He said, reaching out to place a hand on her shoulder in an attempt to get her to calm down, for people were starting to stare again, but in her rage she was blind to all but him. She yanked her arm away when he tried to touch it, causing him to flinch as if she had struck him. "Ana, I'm sorry."

"You're sorry?" She said, her voice squeaking as it raised in volume. "You left me for dead, and all you can say is you're sorry?"

"Just let me explain…"

"No," she said before he could say any more. "You had 40 years to come back and explain. Most of which I spent locked in a time capsule prison!" Tears were starting to fall from her eyes but she didn't bother wiping them away. "I thought you were dead," she added softer. "I thought I would never see you again. And I thought I came to terms with that, but seeing you here… it opens all of those old wounds." Jefferson looked down and pressed his lips together before looking up at her through his lashes. "I just… need some time."

Ana grabbed her jacket and walked past him and out the door. She was wiping away her tears when a small voice called after her.

"Ana, wait!" Henry called as he ran after her. Ana stopped and turned to him. "What are you doing? You can't just leave."

Ana ran her hand through her hair and knelt down to his level. "Listen, Henry, I know your trying to help, but this…" She looked up through the window to where Jefferson was leaning against the counter with his head in his hands. "Me and him, there's nothing you can do."

"But your story…"

"Is just a story now," she interjected. "And Jefferson… is just another character." She stood before adding, "I appreciate what you've tried to do Henry, but I'm afraid it's beyond your help." With one final glance in the diner, she turned and headed back to the hotel.

000

Ana lay on her bed, studying the ceiling while music blocked out the rest of the world. A day had gone by since the run in at the diner and since then her interactions with the outside had been limited to room service deliveries from Ruby. Or Red. Er… ugh.

Even being from the Enchanted Forest she was still having trouble wrapping her head around the whole curse thing. Ever since she saw Jefferson yesterday she'd been left with a bad headache that wouldn't go away.

Her contemplation was interrupted by a pounding on the door. She didn't recall ordering any food, so she simply cranked up her music, hoping that maybe they'd go away. She wasn't feeling up to talking yet. Unfortunately for her, whoever was on the other side of the door was determined, and after the third or fourth knock Ana gave up on trying to ignore them and got up to open the door.

She found Emma on the other side, preparing to walk away until she heard the door open. "Oh," she said as she turned back to her. "Hey." Ana offered a weak smile in response. Emma put her hands in her back pockets and rocked back on her heels, looking unsure of what to say next. "Henry wanted to come himself, but I figured I'd save you from that onslaught of questions. At least while I can."

Ana chuckled dryly and said, "Thanks."

"Mind if I come in?" Emma asked.

"Sure."

Once they were inside Emma said, "So… you're from the Enchanted Forest?" She could tell from the expression on her face as she said it she could tell she was having trouble digesting the thought. Ana nodded. "As I'm sure you've figured out we don't get many visitors in Storybrooke, so people tend to get suspicious when someone just so happens to roll into town."

Ana's jaw dropped in offense when she realized what she was implying, "I'm not some criminal!"

"I know that," Emma said, trying to get her to calm down. "Henry trusts you, and so do I. But we're only two people. The rest of the town is getting curious."

"Well than how can I prove I'm not here to cause trouble?"

"Just answer a couple of questions for me," she replied. "I'm the sheriff; they'll come to me if they want to fill in the holes about your background. I just need something to tell them."

"Fine," Ana said, willing to comply. "What do you want to know?"

"Why weren't you brought here by the curse?"

"I was imprisoned in Wonderland at the time." Emma's eyebrows shot up at the word imprisoned. "It's not like it sounds! Well not entirely. I tried to steal some jewels from the Queen of Hearts and she caught me. But she completely over reacted. Instead of doing the merciful thing and simply cutting off my head she put me under a spell that basically trapped me in my own body. It prevented me from aging. I was stuck like that for 28 years."

Emma cringed in sympathy. "How did you escape?"

"The White Rabbit found me. He freed me from the curse and led me to this land. I've lived here ever since, traveling the country."

"What about Storybrooke?" Emma asked. "How'd you find this place?

"I bought a map of Maine from a convenience store, looking for a new place to explore. The name Storybrooke kind of called to me. It's hard to explain."

Emma looked confused. "Wait, Storybrooke was on a map?"

"Yeah," Ana said, not understanding her befuddlement.

"Huh," she said, but otherwise dropped it when she continued with, "Well, thanks for answering my questions."

"No problem," Ana said with a half-smile. She followed her as she went to the door.

Before she left Emma added, "And about Jefferson. I know what it's like to have someone you never thought you'd see again suddenly come back into your life. You should at least give him a chance before you cut him back out." Ana nodded in understanding and waved her goodbye as she headed out the door.

Once Emma was down in the lobby Mr. Gold stood from the chair he had been waiting for her in. "Well? What did you find out?" He asked. Emma told him what Ana had said, including the odd bit about the map. That seemed to puzzle him as much as it had her. "She found this place on a map?"

"That's what she said." She replied. "She seemed to be telling the truth."

"Oh I believe she is." Mr. Gold agreed. "Thank you Mrs. Swan, your services have been quite helpful."

"Why are you so interested in this girl anyway? She's not here to cause any trouble." Emma asked before he could leave.

He sneered at her as he said, "Let's just say I'm not a man who likes to be in the dark when it comes to people."

000

Over the next couple of days Ana began to settle in a bit more in Storybrooke. She met Henry occasionally at Granny's. He helped inform her about the town and its residents and in return she told him stories of the Enchanted Forest and Wonderland. She was grateful that he was so welcoming, especially since the rest of the town still seemed a bit wary of her presence.

She hadn't seen Jefferson again yet. She tried to deny it, but as each day went by without running into him she was left with an empty feeling in her stomach. She brushed it off, but that didn't make it go away.

That morning she had gotten up earlier, figuring she'd head out for a jog. Henry had given her a map so that she could find her way to the trail in the woods. She had been wandering for ten minutes, her nose buried in the paper as she tried to decipher it. When she felt a headache beginning to form she was ready to give up when a gust of wind came and blew the paper out of her hands. Her eyes widened in shock and she leapt up in a desperate attempt to catch it, but by the time she had reacted it was already well out of her reach. She gave a dejected sigh and took a look around to see where she had ended up. She recognized it, for she had driven through here on her way into town. The only business that appeared to be open was a small pawn shop, so she summoned her pride and headed inside.

As soon as she was through the door she was instantly struck by the musty smell from the assortment of things for sale. The shop appeared empty, but she looked around a little bit, intrigued by the artifacts the mess. She was examining an odd pair of puppets when a voice disturbed her.

"May I help you?"

Ana jumped a bit before stammering, "I-I, uh, was just wondering if you could show me the way to the forest trail."

The man gave a small smile that she assumed was supposed to be welcoming, but came off as eerie. She could tell by the gray in his hair he was older, and despite his shop being void of customers his Italian suit made it appear he did well for himself. "Why yes of course," he said, with a bit of an accent. "Just down the road there should be a visible path in the trees. I believe it's marked."

Ana forced a smile and thanked him before turning to head out the door. Before she opened it he called out, "I don't believe I caught your name."

She turned back to face him and briefly considered lying to him, but something in his eyes forced her to tell the truth. "Ana," she blurted.

He grinned, as that were the answer he had been hoping to hear. "Ana," he echoed. "Of course."

She didn't linger any longer before heading out the door. A chill ran down her back once she was outside once more, causing her to shiver. She only paused briefly before breaking into a jog and following the direction he had told her to go. She easily found the path, and all thoughts of the curious pawnbroker were erased from her mind as she raced through the trees. Her vision began to blur as she pushed on. She found herself in a cold sweat as it grew harder and harder to breathe. Soon spots were dancing in front of her eyes but something inside of her kept her going. However, she suddenly found herself staring up at the sky through the branches, not even aware she had fallen. That was her last view before she lost consciousness.

000

The first thing Ana noticed when she woke up was that her shoes were missing, as she'd been wearing her pink socks with hearts on them and holes in the soles, so she could feel the breeze on her heels.

The second thing she perceived was the splitting pain in her head. It felt as though it had been dislodged from her head, stuffed with tissues, and then sewn back on. Lifting her eyelids was a difficult task, but once she managed it and her vision came into focus she found herself staring up into the brown eyes of a curious young girl.

The girl giggled and said, "I like your socks." Ana attempted a smile, but it came out looking more like a mangled grimace, which only caused the girl to chuckle more. "I'm Grace."

"Ana," she replied. "Where am I?" She asked as she struggled to sit up and get a look around.

"Be careful!" Grace cautioned. "My papa said you hit your head pretty hard."

"Your papa? Who…"

"Oh good, you're awake. I was getting worried," a man's voice interrupted them from somewhere behind her. At the sound of it Ana leapt from her seat, despite the dizziness that struck her.

"Jefferson," she greeted tersely.

Jefferson gave a Cheshire grin as he replied, "Good to see there wasn't any memory loss."

Ana narrowed her eyes, not amused. "How did I get here?"

"Well, Grace and I were on a walk in the woods, and we happened to come across you lying on your back on the forest floor. It's a good thing too. Who knows how long you might have been there." He seemed rather proud of himself as he hooked his thumbs in his pockets, the smirk never once falling from his face.

"Why didn't you take me to the hospital?"

"Well, your injuries didn't seem that serious, and it would have taken much longer to get you down there than to simply bring you up here."

Ana rolled her eyes at his smugness but didn't argue further. "Well thanks then, I guess. How can I repay you?"

Grace and Jefferson met eyes briefly before he said, "Perhaps you'd consider coming over for tea tomorrow evening?"

"Tea?" Ana repeated skeptically. "I don't think so."

"Oh come on," Jefferson countered. "It will be fun. Besides I believe we have some catching up to do."

Ana chewed her lip in hesitation at his offer. While she was grateful for what they had done, having dinner with the man who broke her heart at 18 and his daughter did in no way sound fun.

"Please," Grace begged. She seemed delighted at the thought. "We could use someone new for our tea party."

She gave her a big eyed look Ana was sure she had perfected on her father. After that it was hard for her to say no, so instead she turned to Jefferson and dead-panned, "You're lucky you have a cute daughter."

They both grinned simultaneously before a car horn rang through the air. "That would be your ride." He led her to the front door, where he returned her shoes and explained that he had called the sheriff to give her a ride home. Before she left he told her gently, "I'm really glad you're coming for tea."

"You do you realize I'm only doing it because of Grace?" she replied.

He shrugged and raised his eyebrow in chorus. "We'll see," he said with the hint of a grin.

* * *

**Sorry this chapter is kind of short, but hopefully the next one will make up for it!**


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